A flour mill previously operated by NAPI will begin operations next month under a new name: New Mexico Milling.
Heading a new management group at the company is Bryan Ledgerwood, president and chief executive officer. Ledgerwood brings nearly 20 years of milling industry experience to New Mexico Milling.
“This is a rare opportunity to operate an independent mill, during a time when the industry has seen continued consolidation into a select few large corporate millers,” he said. “As a result of the wheat sources in the area we see many opportunities to create efficiencies and provide for long-term sustainable growth.”
Ledgerwood most recently was vice-president of milling operations at Richardson International. Prior to Richardson, he was director of operations at Viterra, and earlier was vice-president of manufacturing at 21st Century Grain Processing and business unit manager at ConAgra Foods.
Ledgerwood has integrated numerous plants as a result of industry mergers and acquisitions, and has a track record of creating sustainable results through forming and unifying strong plant teams, New Mexico Milling said.
The New Mexico Milling plant will have daily wheat flour milling capacity of 2,300 cwts in addition to grain storage of 2.2 million bushels. The mill is equipped with packaging equipment with capacities of producing 2-, 5-, 10-, 25-, 50-lb packaged products and also will ship bulk flour. The company said it will offer specialized blending capabilities to produce custom blends such as bread, pancake and tortilla mixes.
The Farmington mill was opened in 2012 and operated as Navajo Pride flour mill until May 2015, when NAPI shut down operations following a voluntary recall for its bleached, all-purpose flour because of possible Salmonella contamination. At that time, Tsosie Lewis, then chief executive officer of the NAPI, cited increased expenses and the need for upgrades at the mill. He said the company would resume operations by the spring of 2016.
